After 30 years of ‘steady as she goes’, Brooklyn Scouts is celebrating a new lease of life, with two more Scouts achieving Chief Scout’s Awards and the formal opening of a new kitchen in the Brooklyn Scout Hall in Harrison Street, Brooklyn.
Josh Stewart and Liam Simes were both awarded the Chief Scout’s Award on Tuesday 16 December.
Presented by Councillor David Lee, the Chief Scout’s Award is the supreme award within the Scouting section (ages 10 to 15) and is only given to Scouts who have made outstanding achievements in their scouting lives. Only four Chief Scout’s Award have been achieved by Brooklyn Scouts in the last 30 years – there were two awards in 2013.
For Josh who has just completed Year 10 at Wellington High, achieving the Chief Scout award has meant 24 weeks of helping with Cubs, community service in the form of clean-ups and plantings in the Owhiro Stream and academic achievements in the form of a Niwa science fair project win with his project on weather. Josh’s interest in Kapa Haka at school has also helped the group with its understanding of Tikanga Maori.
In presenting the award, David noted Josh’s determination to put in the hours to get the award – hours that are on top of a heavy commitment to numerous sports teams, kapa haka, and the feminist club at school.
Liam’s award was presented in absentia, but his achievements include service leading Keas, leading trips for other Scouts, including one to the Hawkes Bay and attendance at the Scout Jamboree – a key scouting event held every three years. Liam is an active surf life-saver and competes at a National level so has also been the resident water safety expert for the group. Liam has just completed Year 10 at Wellington College.
In addition to the presentation of Chief Scout’s Awards, the Group celebrated the formal opening of a brand new kitchen. Built with the assistance of a significant grant from Karori Brooklyn Community Charitable Trust (KBCCT) and with funding for an electrical upgrade from Transpower, the new kitchen will enable the group to expand the cooking skills of their Scouts. It also provides a more usuable community space for the wider Brooklyn community.
The kitchen upgrade comes after the excavation and building of a new Venturer den in the basement of the hall that was celebrated earlier in 2014.
Group Chair, Oliver Mander said “Scouts is all about adventure for life. We are a growing and active group, offering great opportunities for young people from 5 to 18 to have fun, learn and achieve in the outdoors and in the community.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting year in 2015 using our new facilities.”
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